Drinks

Co. Down's Echlinville Distillery Announces Plans For £9m Expansion

By Dave Simpson
Co. Down's Echlinville Distillery Announces Plans For £9m Expansion

Echlinville Distillery of Kircubbin, Co. Down, has announced that it is investing over £9 million in an expansion project with the help of funding from Invest NI.

The distillery plans to increase its production capacity, create a visitor centre and grow its brands of Irish whiskey and gin globally.

Invest NI has offered the distillery £659,000 of support towards the purchasing of new equipment, the extension of its storage facilities to meet anticipated demand for its products and the creation of 36 jobs.

Invest NI CEO Statement

In a statement published on Echlinville Distillery's website, Invest NI CEO Kevin Holland said, "Since establishing in 2012, Echlinville Distillery has developed a number of well-established brands which are making their mark on the international whiskey and gin market. This investment will enable it to grow further and develop its portfolio of award winning products. With an emphasis on brand development, it will also drive growth in global sales of its premium and ultra-premium Irish whiskey and gin.

"The investment includes the development of a new immersive visitor's centre and the creation of 36 new jobs, which is great news for the local Ards & North Down Borough Council area. Roles on offer include operational, administrative and visitor centre roles, and, once in place, will contribute over £1 million of additional annual salaries for the Northern Ireland economy.

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"It is impressive to see a company in such a short period of time scale so quickly. We have assisted its trade activities, recently supporting it to secure a distribution agreement in Canada. The company's Dunville whiskey is now on the shelves of almost 900 stores across Canada. Our partnership approach is clearly working, and I look forward to seeing Echlinville's export ambitions continuing to reap rewards."

Echlinville Distillery Owner Statement

Echlinville Distillery owner Shane Braniff commented, "This investment will help us to substantially increase our production capacity and grow our export sales tenfold over the next five years. We are adding capacity in distillation, bottling, labelling, storage and brand development, all of which are key to further establishing our brands in major international markets including Russia and the US."

Braniff added, "Alongside increasing exports around the world, we also hope to raise awareness of what this part of Ireland has to offer and attract more visitors to the area with the development of a dedicated visitor centre. We look forward to continued growth in the years ahead, and I would like to thank Invest NI for its continued support throughout our journey so far."

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